1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging machines, and more particularly relates to automated packaging machines for filling containers with pills and associated methods.
2) Description of Related Art
Pharmaceutical medicines and associated packaging apparatus are typically subject to relatively strict consumer protection guidelines. For example, pills, capsules, and the like, must be produced and packaged in such a way as to at least meet the minimum sterility requirements mandated by federal regulations. In addition, the pills should be delivered into the packaging such that the contents accurately meet the claimed labeling xe2x80x9ccountxe2x80x9d, i.e., each package includes exactly the predetermined number of pills. Notwithstanding the above, it is also desired to package the product in a mass production operation to offset costs typically attributed to a labor intensive operation in order to provide an economic product.
In the past, pill filling machines have been proposed that provide automated bottle counts by filling a hopper with pills and causing a plurality of the pills to be caught by a pill capturing device, such as an array of rotary slats. The rotary slats drop the captured pills into a plurality of bottles disposed in alignment with the dropping pills. The bottles are distributed along an endless conveyor belt that is timed to advance and stop the bottles according to the filling operation.
Conventional pill capturing devices more particularly include a series of rotary slats each configured to receive, hold, and move a plurality of capsules or pills along a closed path. The rotary slats are typically discs fixed on a rotatable shaft and have a plurality of openings in the outer peripheral edge portion thereof for capturing individual pills. Accordingly, the closed path is arcuate and generally disposed between a pill hopper and discharge area above the conveyor belt. By the rotary action of the slat, the pills move in a direction normal to the conveyor belt. The pill capturing device then generally discharges the pills by rotating the slats, which move corresponding to the closed path, such that the pills fall out of the respective openings at the filling station. The pills are often funneled through a chute that empties into a corresponding bottle.
The xe2x80x9ccount,xe2x80x9d or number of pills in the bottle, is determined by positioning the bottles in the pill dropping zone for a predetermined time. The duration of the filling operation for each bottle corresponds to the number of openings in each slat that the machine is capable of delivering to the bottles per unit of time. The duration of the filling operation, speed of the rotary slats, and configuration of the pill capturing device are used to calculate the count.
Unfortunately, if the pill capturing device fails to capture a pill in each and every cavity or receptacle, or if a pill should mistakenly be diverted, at least one of the bottles can be improperly filled. The conventional solution to this problem is to situate an operator adjacent to the slats to ensure that each receptacle is filled with a pill. If a pill is missing, the operator manually places a pill in the receptacle. Such an approach involves labor costs and can be unsatisfactory for sterility purposes. In addition, the accuracy of the count of each bottle is largely determined by the operator and, as such, a fully and consistently accurate count cannot be guaranteed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,901 to Aylward, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides an exemplary solution to this problem by way of a machine with independently driven rotary slats. The pills are allowed to fall into an exterior receptacle of a rotary slat and, in one embodiment, passed under a rotary brush in an attempt to prevent two pills from being disposed in the same receptacle. A separate counting device is associated with each rotary slat for counting each pill as it falls from the slat into the container. A positive count is provided for each container and improperly filled slats will not affect the total count for that container. If a particular container has a low count, the respective slat can be further rotated to fill the container. Because the slats are independently driven, the other slats can remain stationary to prevent overfilling. Thus, the machine permits an accurate filling of each bottle.
One alternative apparatus is a rotatable drum, as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,439 to List. The rotatable drum includes a plurality of parallel rows of throughgoing holes that constitute receptacles for dragees. The dragees enter the receptacles in the drum from the interior of the drum at an inner input location, exit to the exterior of the drum at an outer retrieval location, and are filled into bottles. An ordering device facilitates the entry of the dragees into the receptacles, and feeler blades engage the receptacles. If any of the receptacles in an axially extending row do not contain a dragee, one of the feeler blades actuates a bolt pusher, which prevents any of the dragees in the row from being filled into the bottles. Instead, a solenoid and knockout bar empty the receptacles of the row. By preventing the bottles to be filled from partially filled rows of receptacles, the apparatus prevents the different bottles from being filled at different rates.
Undesirably, the additional mechanical components that are required for emptying the partially filled rows of apertures increase the complexity, cost, and likelihood of failure of the apparatus. Additionally, emptying the partially filled rows slows the process of filling the bottles because no pills are dispensed from those rows.
Accordingly, there is a great need for a packaging apparatus which provides an accurate count for each container and operates at a high speed. The apparatus should require a minimum of operator intervention. Additionally, the apparatus should be cost effective, both in initial cost and maintenance costs.
The present invention provides an automated packaging apparatus for depositing a predetermined number of pills into a series of containers. The pills are first disposed into the interior of a plurality of rotary slats of the packaging apparatus. Each slat receives the pills into pill apertures at a peripheral edge portion of the slat, rotates, and dispenses the pills through the pill apertures. Each slat is rotated independent of the other slats, and a detector and controller determine when the corresponding container has been filled. Thus, even if some pill apertures in some rotary slats do not receive or dispense pills, each rotary slat still provides an accurate count. In addition, by using a common interior space of a plurality of slats, no brush or other complex machinery is required.
The packaging apparatus includes a plurality of independently rotatable rotary slats. The rotary slats, which are formed of a polymer, are supported by a plurality of cradle rollers and positioned with small gaps between adjacent slats. Thus, the rotary slats are configured so that their outer peripheral edge portions define a common interior space. Each of the outer peripheral edge portions of the rotary slats defines an inner surface and a plurality of pill apertures. The pill apertures are configured to receive a pill from the common interior space at a first position and transmit the pill outside the rotary slats at a second position. In one embodiment, an inner contour of each of the rotary slats slopes toward the pill apertures to facilitate the entry of pills into the pill apertures. In another embodiment, the inner contour may also vary around the circumference of the rotary slat to facilitate the entry of pills into the pill apertures.
A shroud, which may be adjusted, extends from a location proximate to the first position to a location proximate to the second position such that the shroud prevents the pills from exiting the rotary slats through the pill apertures prior to the pills reaching the second position. A first air blower is located in the common interior space and configured to emit air towards the pill apertures at the second position. The pills may also be urged from the pill apertures by a plow that extends from within the rotary slats toward the pill apertures. The pills may fall from the pill apertures at the second position by virtue of the pill apertures being slanted downward toward the outside of the rotary slats when positioned at the second position.
A conveyor is configured to move open containers along a predetermined path of travel and position each of the containers adjacent a respective rotary slat to define a delivery path that extends between the second position and the container. Chutes define the delivery paths that extend from the second position of each rotary slat to the corresponding container. A delivery sensor detects the delivery of a pill through the delivery path. A second air blower is located outside of the rotary slats and is configured to emit air towards the pill apertures at a third position such that any jammed pills positioned within the pill apertures at the third position are urged back into the common interior space. A sensor detects the quantity of the pills in the common interior space, and a reservoir gate controls the passage of pills from a reservoir, which holds the pills and feeds them into the common interior space.
Each of the rotary slats is independently rotatable, and a drive motor is in driving engagement with each of the rotary slats. Drive wheels, which are engaged with the rotary slats for independently rotating them, have outer surfaces that are contoured to match the outer peripheral edge portions of the rotary slats. A controller is connected to and controls the drive motors such that the rotary slats can be rotated for different durations. In one embodiment, the controller alternately accelerates and decelerates the rotary slats to vibrate them and agitate the pills.
Additionally, the present invention provides a method of depositing pills into containers. The pills are first disposed in a common interior space defined by a drum made up of several rotary slats. The pills are captured in pill apertures defined by the outer peripheral edge of the rotary slats. The rotary slats are accelerated and decelerated to agitate the pills and urge them into the pill apertures. Each of the rotary slats is independently rotated so that the pill apertures are moved to a position at which the pills are released from the apertures and delivered to containers. Air is directed toward the pills to facilitate their release from the apertures. If a pill fails to release from a pill aperture, air is directed toward the pill to urge the pill back into the interior of the drum. The released pills are directed toward chutes that delivery the pills toward the containers. As the pills are delivered, they are counted and the number of pills delivered to each container is calculated. When one of the containers receives a predetermined number of pills, the rotary slat corresponding to that container is stopped. The rotation of the other rotary slats is continued until each corresponding container has received the predetermined number of pills. The number of pills in the interior of the drum is also detected and additional pills are automatically fed into the interior as necessary.
Thus, the packaging apparatus of the present invention provides an accurate count for pills dispensed to each container. The apparatus requires a minimum of operator intervention, and it can operate at a high rate of speed. Additionally, the apparatus provided is cost effective, both in initial cost and maintenance cost.